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The End of Basketball Season

Well, I’m not exactly looking back and laughing, like I suggested we might in this post. But, I am looking back and saying, “Man, we came a long way.”

Basketball for Bailey and Jake ended last Saturday. And, while it doesn’t disappoint me to have my Tuesdays and Saturdays back (only to give them away again in less than a month to t-ball), it is disappointing that it will be a while before we do basketball again.

The entire team made huge improvements. I can’t say it enough… they all grew as players. Brad and Dawn did a great job, especially considering that the kids’ attention spans were very short. :) Each child left having learned something. Bailey learned to play defense. She still got distracted by her loose tooth or by some kid that she saw sitting on the sideline or just by the ball itself. She scored one basket during the season – too bad it was on the wrong goal – but she shot and made it. She grew in confidence. She had fun… and she gained a love for a new game.

And, that my friends, brings me to Jake. Well, you know that I was worried about Jake. You know that he made it nearly impossible to practice and work with him. And, no, I’m not going to tell you that he came out of his shell, started dribbling like a pro and shooting the ball over his friends’ heads. That just didn’t happen. :) BUT… he did decide to stay on the court when he was needed. He followed his team up and down the court more than half of the time. Did he go after the ball? No. Did he really do anything related to actual basketball? No… unless turning your jersey around backwards counts toward an athletic achievement. :) But, he did improve at listening (some) and he did make an attempt to try (not a big attempt). So, we call that improvement. Small, tiny, baby steps.

On the other hand, Brad took Jake to a t-ball get-together last week. They passed ball and hit off the tee and all that jazz. Apparently, Jake is more interested this year in playing ball. Brad said he did a good job at listening and that he participated fully almost the entire time. I think it helps that he’s been around these kids since he was two. So, maybe he’s figuring it out… maybe we won’t have to stand in the outfield and protect him from any pop-ups this year.

Nah… I’m not holding my breath on that one. :) He’s still Jakey.

Photos to come later. I have to get them downloaded and saved. I promise... there are some really cute ones! :)